Worthwhile Nutrition

No, that's not a typo. These tiny cabbage-like vegetables are named after the Belgian city of Brussels, which has an S on the end. I have to admit - I have only in the last couple of years started to enjoy brussels sprouts. Prior to that I found them stinky and bitter. But I've found that following a recipe for preparing them makes all the difference. Whether you add butter, parmesan, salt and pepper, or all three, you too can learn to enjoy these little gems! Members of t...he brassica family, b.sprouts are high in the antioxidants vitamins A and C.They are also an excellent source of Vitamin K. Vitamin K is a direct regulator of inflammatory responses, and we need optimal intake of this vitamin in order to avoid chronic, excessive inflammation - especially if we want healthy brains. Their high fibre content is also beneficial for keeping your gut and digestive tract functioning optimally. You can get the most nutrients out of brussels sprouts by lightly steaming them for 5-6 minutes. If they are not part of your regular veggie rotation, give them another try today. You may be surprised!

"The same parts of your brain that criticize others also criticize you. You tend to become more unforgiving about your own mistakes. Self-acceptance recedes. It becomes harder for you to like yourself." https://tinybuddha.com//how-forgiving-yourself-and-others/

One of the biggest changes I've made in my own health in the past couple of years is upping my vegetable intake.By becoming an aggressive eater of vegetables. What do I mean by this? I mean actively looking for ways to increase the servings of vegetables I get in a day. Bringing them to the forefront of my daily food intake, and not the "afterthought" that they used to be. Success in making this happen for me looks like chopping veggies up on Sundays so they are in the fridge... ready to go. It looks like pureeing vegetables and freezing them in cubes to easily add to soups, stews and dips. It also looks like stopping at a grocery store to grab pre-cut veggies instead of making a trip through the drive-thru. When time permits, there is nothing better than a lovely salad - but let's face it - we don't always have the time to make one in the middle of a hectic day, heading from one meeting to another. Which is why it helps to know where your nearest salad bar is! Greens are so good for your brain! A recent study found that those who ate leafy greens once or twice a day, halted their mental decline by an average of 11 years! 11 years! Given that roughly 70% of Alzheimer's patients are women, we need all the help we can get to keep our brains in good working order for as long as possible. The single greatest benefit I have noticed from being an aggressive eater of vegetables? Less cravings. Yep! A funny thing happens when you get your greens in. Your cravings for the "sweet and saltys" drops. And that increases my odds of making OTHER healthy choices. WIN.

This simple statement is so true. So simple, and yet sometimes hard to do. One daily change that I have made over the past year is to eat leafy greens every day (well, 5 out of 7 anyway!). This has helped me beat sugary/salty cravings, and has increased my overall fruit and veggie intake because most often I eat them in a salad or a smoothie. What is one small change you could make daily to change your health?

I've been trying to eat less meat lately. So I've been keeping an eye on which veggies have the most protein. Turns out lots of them do! Spinach is one of my faves. Delicious raw or cooked, it is an excellent source of protein, as well as being high in magnesium, calcium, potassium and iron (Popeye!). Potassium is an integral part of brain health, and has been shown to increase blood flow to the brain as well as heightened cognition, concentration, & neural activity. And we can all use more of that, right?